Bilingual Employees Key to Fast Response to Natural Disasters

Across the United States, Fortune 500 corporations in the insurance and power sectors, like all employers, are faced with the need to rapidly respond to the growing number of natural disasters. In the process of responding to immediate needs, these companies and others have been and continue to be at risk for failing to properly respond to the language needs of their consumers. Over the next decade, the U.S. Hispanic population is expected to grow more than 118 percent – versus a 24 percent growth rate by the general population – with an expected purchasing power of $1 trillion by 2010, nearly three times the growth rate of the rest of the population.  
 
The Federal Emergency Management Agency currently has declared disasters in five states including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. California is also addressing the spread of fires caused by storms. All six areas have a high density, or emerging population, of Hispanic residents. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics account for 35.9 percent in California, 14.7 percent in Illinois, 4.8 percent in Indiana, 3.8 percent in Iowa, 7.4 percent in Nebraska, and 4.7 percent in Wisconsin.  
 
“Employers nationwide are struggling to meet the needs of their non-English speaking or limited English speaking customers and potential customers,” says Ken Carey, owner of Agil Staff, Inc., a staffing company. “Companies are responding to the buying power of the growing Hispanic community as well as to the lessons learned after Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. The 2002 ice storms in North Carolina also drove home the point that power companies and insurance companies alike must have more bilingual staff to handle the needs of their growing Hispanic customer base.”  
 
In general, Spanish is the most-needed language for natural disaster response due to the Hispanic population of more than 40 million that continues to grow and flourish.  
 
Bilingual Employees Key to Responding to Natural Disasters  
 
“We have had tremendous success recruiting Spanish-speaking staff in response to natural disasters,” says Carey. “Our work with top insurance and power companies has provided a track record of success for companies seeking to ensure quality service year round.”  
 
Failure to properly respond to the needs of Spanish-speaking customers in the aftermath of natural disasters has been met with wide criticism and fines. In 2002, a major ice storm swept through North Carolina causing an unprecedented power outage to approximately two million electric utility customers. The state’s largest power companies were criticized for the lack of Spanish-speaking representatives at company customer call-in centers to service the needs of its Hispanic customers.  
 
As the Hispanic population and its purchasing power continue to grow, U.S. companies are beginning to recognize that they must have a workforce that reflects their consumer base, both in language and cultural awareness. One way that companies are successfully responding to the growing demand for bilingual employees is by engaging bilingual placement companies.  
 
“Many employers see that hiring bilingual staff results in higher profits and truer reflections of our diverse community,” says Carey. “In order to build trust and loyalty with Latinos, U.S. companies need to understand the cultural composition of this community. More importantly, companies must be able to support Hispanics on their customer’s terms - with sensitivity to the varying levels of cultural assimilation.”